It's just before 8 a.m. when the crackly loudspeaker booms through every corner and crevice of the store. "Good morning, everyone! Up front! Up front! Up front!"

That voice belongs to Sue Armour, general manager of Best Buy in Battle Creek. It's Black Friday and Armour wants her associates ready for battle when the store opens its doors shortly. A short speech addresses the Thanksgiving Day successes that exceeded sales targets, the sandwiches that will be housed in the break room and rallies the about 30 employees to "have some fun" during one of the year's busiest shopping days.

"It's just like any other holiday, and it can be stressful if you don't plan for it," Armour said. "We do a lot of planning. We talk about this time of season throughout the entire year so this is something we staff for and something I talk about when I do the hiring throughout the entire year."

More than 100 customers rushed through the doors at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27 at Best Buy in Battle Creek. The store offered a series of Black Friday sales to appeal to consumers. Al Lassen/For the Enquirer

More than 100 customers rushed through the doors at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27 at Best Buy in Battle Creek. The store offered a series of Black Friday sales to appeal to consumers. Al Lassen/For the Enquirer

Best Buy was one of many local stores and outlets to participate in Black Friday festivities. Several stores in the area opened as early as 5 a.m., with customers migrating in large numbers to shopping favorites such as Target, Kohl's and Menards on Friday morning. At Best Buy, though, lines were smaller than usual for Black Friday due to rainy weather, an increase in online shopping and the fact the store was open -- and incredibly busy, according to Armour -- on Thanksgiving.

There weren't the tents and long, raucous lines of years past, but that didn't stop Battle Creek resident and first-time Black Friday shopper Lorie Moross from waiting outside of the store in search of a new TV.

"I think a lot of people can do it online now," Moross said. "And I think there's lot of people in the cars out of the rain, too."

Battle Creek residents Logan Alderson and Lance Weaver also braved the rain to be among the first people in the store on Friday.

"I need a big TV," Alderson said, smirking. "I recently went through a break-up and she took the TV and the microwave and half of the electronics. So, I'm trying to get a grab back at it."

Battle Creek resident Abe Patterson poses with his new flat screen TV he purchased on Friday at Best Buy in Battle Creek.(Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

The National Retail Federation, which studies annual shopping trends, said it expected 138.5 million holiday shoppers online and in stores during the Thanksgiving weekend. The organization said 73.5 percent of the shoppers anticipating they might shop this weekend will do so on Black Friday, an increase from the 68.2 percent it anticipated a year ago.

In a media release this week, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said retailers are moving toward offering deals throughout the weekend, rather than just on Black Friday. Shay also said this weekend isn't the "end-all-be-all" for retailers, as there are several important shopping weekends ahead before the Christmas season.

“The importance of Thanksgiving weekend to both retailers and consumers will never change," Shay said. "However, retailers have already given consumers several good reasons to start their holiday shopping earlier. We suspect early holiday shoppers could still be on the fence about whether or not to try their hand at finding online and in-store deals Thanksgiving weekend."

Best Buy associate Justin Davis assists customers with video game questions on Friday at Best Buy in Battle Creek.(Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

Even as retailers move away from exclusive Black Friday deals, there's still an element of the day that's enjoyable to some shoppers like Battle Creek residents Kathy Yoder and her 10-year-old daughter, Annika. Yoder said Black Friday is an annual bonding experience for her and Annika, and that they'd "never" go out on Thanksgiving to get a jump start on shopping deals.

"Annika and I have been making a tradition out of this the past couple of years," she said. "She would rather come Black Friday shopping than have me go Black Friday shopping on my own to get her things for Christmas. She just likes the excitement of it.